A bill in the State Assembly proposing allow renting tenants install electric vehicle charging stations in a leased parking space at their own expense has earned the unanimous support of the Santa Monica City Council on May 13.

Council member Kevin McKeown requested his colleagues to support Assembly Bill 2565 (AB 2565), which was introduced by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi.

“In our city of about 70 percent renters, it’s going to be very hard for us to achieve our sustainability goals, particularly with respect to electric vehicles, if renters cannot reliably know they can go home and plug in a plug-in vehicle,” McKeown said. “I’d be ready for a plug-in Prius if I had a plug. But I’m a renter, so I don’t.”

If ultimately approved, AB 2565 would allow a renter to purchase, install, and operate an electric vehicle charging station in a parking space he or she leases as part of the residence.

AB 2565 came on to the Assembly floor in light of Gov. Jerry Brown’s goal of having 1.5 million zero emission vehicles (ZEV) on the road by 2025.

“Property owners may refuse to allow the installation of a charging station even if the tenant is willing to pay for the installation and operation of the station,” literature attached to AB 2565 stated. “The fact that 41 percent of California residents live in multi-family housing and do not have access to parking spaces for [electric vehicle] charging will remain a challenge. AB 2565 would remove this impediment by stating that a property owner cannot unreasonably deny a tenant the ability to install a charging station if the tenant is willing to pay for all expenses related to the installation and operation of the station.”